Monday, May 31, 2010

Commemorating with Milk

We couldn't make the Memorial Day blueberry pancakes this morning because we ran out of milk. I was the one dressed already, so I volunteered to drive to the store.

It was a little after 8:00 AM.

It was just a trip for milk.

I left my children in their pajamas and my husband hovering over his ingredients. I'd have to be quick.

I'm turning the corner out of our neighborhood, and all of a sudden, like something bounding out of a dark woods into my car, I'm aware that I'm really, really happy. The realization struck with such force that it astonished me. For someone who battled the black haze of depression for nearly a decade, I am still amazed and celebrate the sheer joy that accompanies feeling good.

I was so thankful this morning to be alive. I was so thankful for what the holiday weekend represented--commemorating soldiers who died to secure freedom. We'd commemorate them in ways they would want us to: we'd eat pies, swim in the public pool, gather for a potluck dinner. What a gift this life is--this simple life that bursts with beauty in all these hidden places if I just look . . .

Living with flair means I commemorate, with ceremony and observation, how thankful I am for battles won, large or small. And I remember the fallen by being fully alive--fetching milk early Monday for blueberry pancakes eaten in peace, with a family, around a simple kitchen table.

1 comment:

Hi..I just found you in the happiness newsletter and only had a moment to read your first post but will continue to do so during the course of my days and weeks!!. What a beautiful post. My 91 year old mom lives with us. She had a heart attack two years ago. Im turning 51 and have been married almost 30 years and I have an almost 22 year old but we live in 5 rooms in queens with one bathroom...a little tight but we make it work. A year before mom moved in my aunt was with us for five months before passing away from leukemia...so I have been a caregiver for quite a while however I begin my day with inspiration and try hard to find reasons to be happy. thank you for your blog...i have a silly one I do for my therapy..it is very silly though....if you care to follow me to it is www.takeamomentforinspiration.blogspot.com I spend time on caregiving sites too however sometimes i find they speak only of the sadness and when that is all we focus on we tend to fuel each other up to feel sad. Sites like your and the happiness one is what I want to fuel up..happiness...I tell the people in caregiving rooms this is the second half of my life too..I went through all the stuff in my younger years....these are my happy times despite circumstances....thank you..Im grateful i found your blog...and I hope the pancakes turned out well

About Me

In my writing classes, we talk about writing with flair, but lately I've been interested in what it means to live with flair. Can I find a way to make every day impressive and meaningful? Just as a sentence turns into something beautiful with the right verb and punctuation, can I learn to revise my day and punctuate it with flair?

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More about me. . .

I'm a wife and mother of two who teaches college writing. I love writing novels, encouraging teachers, reflecting on spiritual principles in everyday life, drinking tea out of my little blue teapot, petting my cats, exercising, lighting candles, reading grammar books, watching movies and any television show with singing and dancing in it, entertaining, eating leftover Chinese food, and blogging. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.